MGM art director Cedric Gibbons.Image: www.imago-images.de
The Academy Award is considered the film industry’s most important award. But behind the shiny surface of the famous statuette there is less precious metal than many assume.
Mar 15, 2026, 9:42 p.mMar 15, 2026, 9:42 p.m
Every year the attention of the film world turns to the Oscars. Winning the iconic trophy is considered the highlight of a career and a symbol of exceptional achievements in front of and behind the camera. Officially, however, the prize is called the “Academy Award of Merit”. The term “Oscar” is a nickname that only became established over time.
A knight on film reels
The well-known figure shows a stylized knight with a sword standing on a film reel. This film reel has five spokes and is intended to represent the original professional groups of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: actors, directors, producers, technicians and screenwriters. The statuette is around 34 centimeters high and weighs just under four kilograms.
It was designed in the late 1920s by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons. The sculptor George Stanley then implemented the idea. Today the “golden boy” is manufactured by a specialized manufacturer in the USA. It takes several months to produce several dozen copies each.
Bronze instead of solid gold
Despite its shiny appearance, the statuette is not made of solid gold. Its core is cast from bronze and then covered with a thin layer of 24-carat gold. In earlier decades, manufacturers also experimented with other alloys, such as nickel, copper or silver mixtures. For several years now, production has been more closely oriented towards the original material concept from when the Academy was founded.
The actual material value of an Oscar statuette is therefore comparatively low and is estimated at a few hundred euros. The ideal value, on the other hand, can hardly be quantified. As a symbol of artistic recognition and professional success, the award has enormous significance in the film industry.
Auctions and strict rules
Individual auctions from the past show that Oscars can still fetch large amounts of money. Trophies from famous filmmakers were sometimes sold for several hundred thousand dollars. However, the Academy takes a critical view of such sales. Anyone who wants to pass on an Oscar today must first offer it to the organization for the symbolic price of one dollar. Only if this offer is rejected may the award be sold to other interested parties.
Where the name “Oscar” comes from
It is still not clear why the Academy Award is called “Oscar” at all. A common anecdote tells of the librarian Margaret Herrick, who is said to have noticed a resemblance to her uncle Oscar when she first saw the figure. Other stories trace the name to Walt Disney or to the Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky, who used the term in the 1930s. It is no longer possible to determine with certainty which version is actually correct.
One thing is certain, however: Even without a large gold component, the Oscar remains one of the most prestigious awards in the entertainment industry – and a symbol of the appeal of cinema. (mke)